Friends have asked me what the best kind of cutting board is. It seems there is still some confusion as to what is the safest or “best”. “Best” can only be determined by you. I like the warmth and natural look of wood, but plastic is convenient. Both need to be kept clean and bacteria-free.
The argument about bacteria in wood has long been settled. Some people think that the natural grooves in the wood grain may harbor harmful bacteria from meat juices, but the opposite is actually true. The bacteria is absorbed into the wood grain so that very little is left on the surface. With other precautions such as washing the surface with vinegar, hot water and soap, and/or a bleach solution, wood has a definite advantage over plastic and other materials.
When choosing a cutting board, there are other considerations such as the feel of the cutting surface. I find stainless steel too cold and slippery for my taste, and stone to be the same, plus the latter can dull knives quickly.
A good hardwood maple cutting board or block IS pricey, but it’s a lifetime investment. I love that it can be sanded down to make it look “brand spanking new”. A mini-sander can be had from the hardware store for about $50. That’s cheap; armed with that sander and your maple board you would never have to buy another cutting board for as long as you live, and you can even pass both along to your heirs.
Right now I have an 8-foot hardwood surface (not maple though) that I work on — the top of the island that hubby and 14-yo daughter assembled for me last year from using Ikea cabinetry and components. The wood surface is great for general work. It does need maintaining: spills should be wiped up right away if you want to avoid stains. We’re no longer meticulous about this since the wood wasn’t that expensive to begin with — which means if the need becomes great we could always just replace it — and I see the occasional stain as “character”. It also needs oiling, very frequently in the beginning and less as you go along, about once a month. At first I was religious about this, but having had it for over a year, I’m more relaxed now. There’s a wonderful product called “Spoon Oil” from Wood ‘N Wares — it’s food-grade so you can use it safely on surfaces that come in contact with food. My kids sometimes get lazy and use the countertop for cutting their bread (okay, so they’ve seen mom get lazy too).
You can also make your own wood cleaner and polish by mixing the following materials together in a glass jar:
1/8 cup flax oil (a.k.a. food-grade linseed oil)
1/8 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
A few drops of vitamin E (hey, your wood needs it just as much as your skin does!)
I use my wooden countertop for kneading bread as well; until I get my granite/marble top for the baking center, this will have to suffice. I’ve been pretty satisfied with it except for the necessary scraping that has to be done after a good kneading session, although oiling the surface instead of flouring it (which I just learned about last year) helps. I DON’T use it for cutting veggies or meat, my plastic boards are used for that.
One of these days I intend to invest in different-colored plastic boards — yellow for poultry, green for veggies, red for meat, blue for fish, etc. (Cleaning with vinegar, hot soap and water and a bleach solution also apply here.) There’s a 4-board set (the flexible kind, no rack/holder) available at Sur La Table for $7.95 and a 6-board set from Rubbermaid for $100+, rack sold separately for about $40+. My version will consist of colored boards from Wal-mart and Target, plus a file-sorter from Sam’s that will be just perfect for the job — and will cost me around $35.
For more information on the safety of wood cutting surfaces, see the following links:
Natural Handyman
Article by O. Peter Snyder, Ph.D.
whatscookingamerica.net
Cooking for Engineers
Article by Patrick J. Bird, Ph.D.
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